Hidden Dragons
by HomeRunMikey
Summary: After studying abroad in Hong Kong for three years, Hakufu's younger brother finally returns to Japan to reunite with his family. Instead of a warm family reunion, he finds himself embroiled in the seemingly endless war fought among Kanto's various factions. For his big sister, it was a paradise. For him, it's just a needless distraction from his studies.
1. Chapter 1 - Homecoming

***** This story takes place after the **Battle of Red Cliffs** , but before any of the characters from _Great Guardians_ , _Extravaganza Epoch_ , _Xtreme Xecutor_ , _Western Wolves_ , the _Shin Ikki Tōsen_ manga or any of the video games show up. Also, while _Hidden Dragons_ will appear to mostly follow the manga's timeline instead of the anime's, it won't be completely congruent with either, so if something happens that makes you go " _That doesn't make sense..._ " my advice is to just not think too hard about it.

Just some things to keep in mind.

* * *

 **Chapter I -** **Homecoming**

* * *

His mother had told him how Tokyo had become a fair bit rowdier than it was before. Gifū thought she was just exaggerating, as concerned mother occasionally tended to do. The night he got to Tokyo, he found that she hadn't inflated a single detail.

In fact, she may have been downplaying some things.

"...Did I just enter a war zone?" Gifū said while looking at the wanton violence happening before him.

Dozens of young men were knocking what little sense that had out of each other. Eyes were being blackened, bones were being broken and blood was sent flying with every blow. Every few moments, Gifū saw another head connect with the concrete. Was this just how young Tokyokko celebrated the final days of summer vacation?

He hadn't seen anyone suffer a fatal injury yet, but the local hospital was going to have its hands full regardless.

How he came upon this small war was pure coincidence. Or more aptly, just plain bad luck. He followed the directions the GPS on his phone gave, and it lead him straight to this backstreet. There yet to exist a GPS capable of calibrating the probability of thuggery into its navigation system, tragically.

Gifū considered whether to simply walk around the brawl and continue along his way. Considering how preoccupied they all were with cracking each other's skulls, he doubted that they would care enough to bother with him. It wasn't like he was wearing one of those magatama beads. Gifū was no Warrior ***** ; he was just a young man trying to find his way to his mother's home. [ ***1** ]

And yet…

"Sup, glasses. You in the wrong neighborhood or what?" a stranger asked from behind him.

Their towering figure alone cast a shadow that enveloped Gifū entirely. Even if not for the shadow, the skittish expressions worn by nearby Warriors was enough to tell the boy all he needed to know.

He sighed. "So much for getting away unbothered…"

He turned to face the Warrior. As he thought, he was extremely tall. He was also a bit lanky, but from the way he carried himself it was obvious he wielded more power than a passing glance would imply. And if that wasn't enough of the clue, the white magatama bead hanging of his ear was.

 _That's different than the colors of the others here_ , Gifū thought. _Theirs were all jade green._

Gifū recalled his mother mentioning something about the varying colors of the beads once, but he couldn't recall exactly what it was about. His thought process was interrupted by abrupt shout of angry Warrior.

"Your back's wide open, shithead!" he exclaimed while lunging at the white-magatama wearer.

Not even humoring his ambusher with a glance, the tall Warrior casually swung his arm back. He swatted his attacker away like a fly. He was sent crashing through the window of some closed restaurant and then through several more chairs and tables. The sound of his painful journey was so loud it put the entire backstreet brawl on hold.

It was then that Gifū remembered what his mother had told him: The color of a magatama bead roughly correlated with its wearer's fighting capability *****. He couldn't remember the orders of the colors exactly, but he knew that green was the lowest, and white was above it. [ ***2** ]

At least he knew for certain now.

The tall Warrior blew on the fist he had just pulverized somebody with. "Like I was saying… You lost, glasses?"

Gifū made a face. He honestly confused about this guy's intentions. Despite there still being dozens of other fighters about, this guy had decided to focus solely on him for some reason. If that wasn't bad enough, because of that flashy one-hit KO of his, everyone else was focusing on him too.

Gifū wondered if he should have just listened to his mother and taken a cab.

"I don't want any trouble," he said to the Warrior outright.

"Weird place to end up if you just wanted a peaceful night."

"I got lost. My phone's GPS gave me poor directions."

The Warrior shook his head. "It's all-out war in this part of town. You seriously expect me to believe you just _got loss_ and waltz into the middle of all this?"

"Yes. Yes, I do. You see, I just flew in from Hong Kong. I've haven't been to Tokyo in a long time so-"

"Oh, so you're an out-of-towner? Should have guessed from all that crap you're carrying. Alrighty then…" The Warrior cracked his knuckles. "Lemme give ya a brief lesson 'bout how the streets of Tokyo operate these days."

And just like that, this guy's intentions became abundantly clear to Gifū – he was a bully. He was just a stereotypical, run-of-the-mill harasser who wanted to pick a fight with someone he perceived as an easy mark. It should have been obvious to Gifū from the get-go, but he had hoped that the term 'Warrior' had greater connotations for this types of people than just socking others in the face.

It was more his mistake than anything else, really.

"This is very pathetic..."

"Whatchu say?"

"Don't worry about it," Gifū said while removing his glasses. "Let's just get this over with."

"What? You ain't even gonna fight back? Not even gonna run? Man, this ain't gonna be half as fun otherwise."

Gifū said nothing more. With a jaded expression on his face, he sat his bags down stood silently and waited. The Warrior, realizing that Gifū had no intention of defending himself, shrugged.

"Your funeral I guess."

He blew on his fist again, and then threw it at Gifū's head so fast it made the wind sigh.

Gifū didn't avoid it. He didn't parry it. He did not even attempt to block. He kept still as a statue when the fist slammed dead center in the middle of his face. His nose had not cracked and he had not blinked. His assailant's expression, however, looked like an absolute mess of confusion.

The Warrior reeled his arm back as if he was afraid Gifū might bite it.

After inspecting it briefly he came back at the out-of-towner with a high kick. The Warrior's leg struck against Gifū's neck with the force the snap a tree trunk like a twig.

The boy did not so much as flinch.

"So, how long exactly do you plan to keep going? I really have to be somewhere soon," he said.

The Warrior clenched in teeth. "You little piece of-"

An absolute onslaught of attacks was unleashed upon the boy: Kidney shots, neck chops, jabs to the gut and heel-kicks to the face. Even Gifū's groin was struck twice. The Warrior's hands and feet moved so fast the thugs behind Gifū could barely keep up. And still, none of it so much as fazed him.

By the end of this barrage of blows, it was the Warrior who was left looking tired and haggard. He could belt a random thug through a restaurant without breaking a sweat, but the effort of trying to leave even a single bruise on Gifū had left him wheezing.

"What... What the hell... Why... aren't you... bleedin'!"

"Because you're not that strong."

The Warrior blinked. "…Wha?"

"Look, against below average fighters like the guy you knocked out earlier you may come off like a monster, but really anyone with a decent martial arts backgrounds could get the better of you. I'm guessing you rely almost entirely on that thing hanging from your ear when you fight, right? Kind of like a cage fighter who only as good as the steroids he's taking . Without it, you're just another mediocre street fighter.

"Sorry for being so blunt, but I'm sure these are things you already knew anyway. Let's be honest: If I was wearing a magatama of a higher rank than your own, you wouldn't have picked a fight with me in the first place."

The Warrior's tired hands started shaking, almost burning, with pure fury. The shakes became jumps when he heard some of the fighters behind Gifū snickering. _Snickering_ …

Just a moment ago they were all in awe of power as a fighter, but in a few minutes he had suddenly become a joke?

"Fuck that!" he snapped. "'ll kill you first, you little shit!"

With anger giving him a second wind, the Warrior wound back his arm to throw the fiercest haymaker he was capable of. Gifū, who was thoroughly tired of all this, inhaled deeply. When the Warrior swung at him, he exhaled right before the moment of contact.

A transparent force surged from every pore on his body. Without even getting in a final hit, the Warrior had been blown away and sent rolling across the concrete. When he stopped, he looked back at Gifū in awe.

The Warrior wasn't seriously injured. He had a new bruise or two from barreling across the ground, but aside from that he was physically fine. It was only his resolve was that had been shattered to pieces.

"You… You friggin' monster!" he exclaimed while scrambling to his feet and running off.

Everyone else on that backstreet took measure of Gifū once and then did the same. They still didn't know who he was, but after what they had just witnessed, none of them were eager to find out.

Gifu shook his head while putting back on his glasses. "All that time wasted for nothing. I hope this city isn't always like this."

He dusted himself off, picked up his bags and then started back in the direction his GPS had told him to go. He hoped the rest of his trek would be less eventful.

* * *

"Hakufu ***** , slow down!" Kōkin cried while chasing after her. [ ***3** ]

Unfortunately for her cousin, Hakufu racing heartbeat was already louder than Kōkin was. Probably faster too.

The way the girl sprinted down alleyways and rounded corners one would think there was a finish line and a trophy waiting for her at the end of the neck block. But what Hakufu was actually rushing towards was something way precious to her: a fight.

"There's supposed to be some super big brawl at the park near here tonight, right?" she asked slowing her pace.

"Yeah, but that's no reason for us to be such a big rush."

"'course it is! I can't remember the last time I got to fight a whole mob at once! Tonight's the perfect chance!"

His cousin's battle obsession honestly scared Kōkin sometimes. It was on the final day of school before summer vacation started that a comparable event transpired. Approximately twenty-five guys from a rival school had camped up just outside school grounds that afternoon looking to ambush Nanyō students for a cheap victory. How tragic it was that Hakufu was the first (and last) person they ran into.

The fight went as well as they could have hoped it would.

"C'mon, Kōkin *****! We're gonna miss all the action at rate!" [ ***4** ]

Kōkin was amazed when she someone got _faster_. It was like the idea of a fight by itself was enough to boost her physical performance.

Her excitement only swelled as they got closer to the park, but once they actually arrived, Kōkin could almost feel her enthusiasm deflating. It still would have been in better shape than the guys they found at the park.

The unconscious were lying about everywhere. If they weren't flat on the ground they were crashed into benches or dangling from trees. It looked more like a battlefield than usual, and that was saying quite a bit.

"Did we get here too late? No way…" Hakufu groaned.

She fell to her knees in depression. Meanwhile, Kōkin struggled to hold back a snicker.

He didn't share Hakufu's passion for battle enough to care that they had missed out on tonight's brawl. There was never any shortage of fights in Tokyo, or in Kantō region in general these days. If they just waited long enough a fight would find them on its own – it was simply how things were for those who wore the magatama beads.

"Wait, now that I think about it…"

Kōkin inspected the Warriors around them again. He noticed something incredibly strange – all of their magatama beads were broken. Some were in fewer pieces than others, but every single one that Kōkin could spot had been shattered to some degree.

"I didn't even know it possible to break the beads like this…" he murmured. "Hey Hakufu, have you noticed… Hakufu?"

Hakufu appeared mentally checked out at that moment. All of her attention was focused on something she noticed coming from east side of the park.

"Kōkin, did you hear that?" she eventually asked.

"Hear what?"

She pointed. "There's a noise coming from over there."

Kōkin got a bit closer and focused, trying to make out this alleged noise himself. After a moment, he heard it as well.

"What is that?" he asked.

"Dunno." She then hopped to her feet. "Let's go and see."

"Huh? Hakufu, we can't just run after something when we don't know what it is."

She was already gone.

Curiosity had completely taken place of Hakufu's lust for combat. Kōkin could only groan and hurry after her trail.

As they got closer, the sound became crisper. They were soon able to distinguish what it was – music. Obnoxiously loud music; with a bass so heavy it could make a tank rattle. And yet, when Hakufu and Kōkin arrived at a playground on the east side of the park, they found that this thunderous bass came from a single pair of headphones.

"Wait, Kōkin. Come over here," Hakufu whispered, dragging her cousin along with her into a nearby bush.

Inside it, Kōkin found himself stuck between a stick and soft place. His left was assaulted by thorns, leaves he hoped weren't poisonous and a twig that kept trying to jab into her arm pit. Meanwhile, his right was pressed snugly against Hakufu's breast. He blushed, unsure of which way to move. To make things more disorienting for him, because of the loud music Hakufu to completely break down Kōkin's already small bubble of personal space just so he could hear her.

He felt the warmth of her breath she asked "Can you see them?"

"Y-yeah, I see it-I mean, _them_."

Kōkin got ahold of himself and restrained his eyes. He then focused solely on the owner of the headphones. She kept their face hidden under her jacket's hood, but her figure told her gender regardless.

Though she sat on a swing, the only thing rocking was her along to the ear-splitting rhythm of the bass. She definitely an odd sight, but odder still was the company she kept.

Standing around the swing set, almost like some hoodlum royal guard, were approximately a dozen young men. Unlike the girl, they stayed steady and vigilant. Kōkin couldn't understand why though. There were already around thirty bloody and beaten Warriors laying around them; and just like the ones' earlier, their magatama beads were all shattered.

Kōkin then realized by far the oddest thing about those thugs.

"Hakufu, these guys – you noticed the weird thing about them too, right?"

Hakufu nodded. "Yeah. They all… really like the color yellow."

"Uh… Yeah, I noticed that too, but that's not—"

"I mean, look at 'em! They all have yellow on at least _one thing_ they're wearing. You think they all shop together?"

Kōkin sighed. "I meant their magatama beads, Hakufu."

"Oh. So, what about them? They're just…" Hakufu took another look and noticed immediately what Kōkin meant. "Not wearing any?"

Kōkin nodded. "All those Warriors they beat, some of whom are even D and C Rank judging by their beads – but not a single one of those guys in yellow have a bead of their own. How's that even possible?"

It shouldn't have been. Once a Warrior rose above E-rank, the average thug couldn't even pray of beating him if not ganged up upon. Here, the polar opposite had somehow transpired. Just the implication of such an irregularity put Kōkin even higher on guard.

Hakufu on the other hand...

"Hey, you guys! Any of you up for a match?" she asked, running out from under the bush.

" _ **Hakufu!**_ "

The yellow hoodlums standing around the human boom box honed in on Hakufu and Kōkin immediately. Though they likely couldn't hear what either of them over the music, they all took quick note of the white bead hanging off Hakufu's left ear.

One of them approached the hooded one on the swing and pushed the pause button on her headphones. She abruptly stopped bobbing her head. Then she sighed.

"What did I tell you guys about killing my vibe? It's the only rule I expected you dipshits to be able to follow."

"Sorry, captain, but it's kinda urgent. Looks like we missed one or two."

"Mhm?" The captain looked over at Hakufu and noticed the bead on her ear. "Oh. Shit…"

"Need us take care of it? She's only a D Rank."

"Nah. Just leave it to me," she said while standing. "Late as it already is, I'd rather not waste any more time on this shit than we have to."

She dropped her hood. Unlike her posse, the girl actually wore a magatama bead. It was scarlet red, the color of a C Rank Warrior. The bigger surprise was the girl's hair, however.

It was white as snow, devoid any pigmentation.

Hakufu was a little mesmerized by it until the girl called out her.

"Yo, are you still in orbit?" she asked.

Hakufu nodded awkwardly. "S-sorry. Your hair's really… unique."

"Eh. Been called worse, I guess. So, I gotta assume you go to one of the school's around here, right? Which one do you rep?"

"I'm a 2nd Year at Nanyō Academy."

The girl whistled. "One of the Big Three, huh? You must be neck-deep in fights every day."

"Yeah, I wish. It was like that when I first transferred to Nanyō, but recently guys just run off scared once they recognize me."

The snowtop's yellow posse chuckled among themselves. They wondered who this D Rank thought she was fooling, trying to portray herself as some elite fighter. Even in the middle of the night, they could see the color of her bead clearly.

"Yeah, I get how it is," the captain said, going along with it. "So, what's your name?"

"Oh, it's Haku—"

The girl vanished before she could finish; almost as if the air itself had ate her up.

"Huh? Where did she—"

Hakufu realized too late that the white-haired girl had reemerged right beside her, with a haymaker already in mid-swing.

"Hakufu, look out!" Kōkin cried while shoving his cousin aside.

Hakufu landed roughly onto the ground while a C Ranked fist landed square against Kōkin's forehead and sent him flying like a rag doll. He barreled across the grass until colliding with a girthful tree's trunk. It was an instant knockout.

"Kōkin!" Hakufu exclaimed.

Her cousin's assailant gave another whistle.

"Damn, that dude's reflexes are insane… He knew where I was gonna be and got there before I could throw a punch. Guess Tokyo Warriors ain't all full of it."

The girl then looked down at Hakufu, still looking distressed on the grass.

"Yo, Titty-tan. Nobody else needs to have their lights put out tonight. Just give up that bead on your ear, and I'll let you and your boyfriend go right on your—"

" **You…!** "

The girl felt the air around her suddenly heat up. Instinctively, she jumped back, narrowly avoiding Hakufu's blisteringly fast uppercut. It was close enough that she had a few strands of her white hair stolen, as well as had the front of her jacket ripped open; a jacket she apparently was wearing nothing under.

"Shit! I just got this this thing, dammit!"

Almost on reflex, her posse (mostly) covered their eyes. "C-captain, what the hell! You didn't even wear a sports bra or anything?"

"It's friggin' hot out tonight, so I only wore what I needed to! And stop covering their eyes, dipshit! What're you, three?"

He and the others shook their heads. "What kinda excuse…?"

The captain ignored her gang and honed in on Hakufu.

"Just so ya know, those cheap shots ain't gonna save you when I start knocking some reimbursement out of you, Titty-tan."

"I don't wanna hear about 'cheap shots' from a sucker puncher!"

The girl snorted. "Only a sucker would get knocked out by one in the first place. Your boyfriend oughta invest in a helmet if he's gonna play hero. Might keep regretting it otherwise."

"The only one who's gonna regret anything is **you!** "

A fountain of debris shot up when Hakufu kicked off the ground and launched herself after the yellow gang's captain with a fiercesome right hook. It was speed the latter wasn't prepared. Dodging wasn't even an option. The captain took the blunt of the blow and was amazed her arms were not shattered upon impact. It sent her skidding across the grass for yards until a tree caught her back.

It didn't protect her from the oppressive opposition Hakufu continued to deliver.

She was already on the captain again before she could move. Her speed was unprecedented.

And the surprises continued when Hakufu threw a combination of lightning-quick punches at her, not a single one which could be distinguished by the grunts standing over at the playground. They looked like flickers of light in the dark from where they stood. Even the captain, who was dodging each by barely an inch, could barely make them out.

From the sidelines, her punches looked like flickers of light in the dark. But flickers of light wouldn't have been able to chisel the bark of a tree with every hit.

 _Gotcha!_ Hakufu thought while throwing her fiercest punch yet.

But that was just a feint. At the last moment, she reeled back, spun her whole body and jousted at the yellow's captain with a roundhouse kick.

Her target, however, was already gone.

Hakufu's kick pierced straight through the tree, which then refused to let it go. As Hakufu struggled to quickly yank her leg free, an unfriendly face showed back up.

"Gotcha~" the captain sang, popping up from the other side of the tree.

Hakufu stared at her blankly. She had done it again – disappeared without a trace then reappeared out of nowhere. How did she keep doing that? Was she really just that much faster?

"Ooh, those are cute panties, Titty-tan," she said while lifting up Hakufu's skirt. "I hope you brought extra pair, though… 'Cause you're gonna pissin' these!"

The captain then took Hakufu's caught and raised her elbow above it. She was about to do to it what it had done to the tree. Hakufu was panicked, but she still acted quickly. There was no clever out of this for her. Thus, she settled for the most straightforward approach.

"Ngh…!" Hakufu clenched her teeth.

At that moment she drew on every inch of raw power her leg and thigh could muster. With the captain still holding on, Hakufu swung her still trapped, tearing the tree that held it from its roots in the process.

The captain blinked. "Are… Are you for real right now?"

Hakufu swung her leg again. The tree flew from her leg like a loose sandal off a foot, and the captain along with it.

The tree landed square in the center of the playground. It was a miracle it nobody – either the guys in yellow or the Warriors on the ground – were hit. The captain was equally lucky to have not gotten crushed.

"Captain! Captain, are you alright?" one of the posse asked as they scrambled over to her.

"Ugh… Keep your panties on, dipshit. I'm fin—" She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her shoulder when she tried to use it to pick herself up. "Well… I've felt worse."

"Ya need backup?"

"Against this girl, you'd honestly just be getting in the way. Just wait here, alright?"

She shrugged her injury off the best she could and walked back towards where Hakufu was pulling splinters. From her leg.

"Ow, ow, ow… Tree's are a lot tougher than they look…"

"Shit… I don't know if colors are just reversed in Tokyo, but D Ranks ain't like this where I'm from," the captain said. "Are you sure you're not borrowing someone else's magatama, Titty-tan?"

"Why are you so obsessed with beads anyway? A fighter's strength is decided by the outcome of a fight itself, not some dumb rank."

"What, so you don't even care your bead's color?"

"My mama told me that the only colors that matter in a fight are black and blue." Hakufu blew once last time on her leg, then took a stance. "Now come and get it! It's time for round two!"

A high-pitched melody caught Hakufu completely off-guard. It turned out to be her opponent's cellphone. She pulled it out, looked at the ID and then scowled.

"Shit. It's _her_." She looked at Hakufu."Hold up for a second."

"What? But we were just about to-"

"I said _hold up_. It'll only take a minute, geez."

Hakufu stood still as the girl demanded. She even kept her stance.

"Yeah, it's me. Whaddya want? …Yea, so? I told you I'd… Wait, what? As in _right now_? I'm in the middle of something, ya know!" After a small pause, the captain sighed. "Fine... I'm coming, alright?"

As soon as she hung up, she snapped. "Shit! She's so damn _annoying_!" She looked back at her grunts. "Alright boys, we're headin' out."

" **What?!** " Hakufu's exclamation nearly rivaled the bass of opponent's headphones. "After everything that just happened, you're just gonna run away?!"

The captain shot her look. "Hey, I don't leaving business half-finished as much as you do, but orders are orders. Park's been properly pacified and that's all me and my boys were supposed to do tonight. You wanna have another go Titty-tan, you're just gonna have to catch me another day." She put her headphones back on. "Keep your bead safe 'till then, cause that baby's gonna be _mine_."

Hakufu still couldn't believe it. "You can't just walk off after—"

She did.

Her headphones were already blaring at their usual volume, to the point where Hakufu couldn't hear herself finish her own sentence. The captain, whoever she was, had already checked out of the conversation. She and her yellow-threaded followers headed off without sparing Hakufu so much as a parting glance.

If Hakufu's enthusiasm wasn't already deflated when she first entered the park, it was positively punctured at every inch now.

She fell to her knees for the second time that night. "Man… my luck just sucks tonight."

"Think I might've had a slightly worse evening, Hakufu."

The sound of Kōkin's voice almost made his cousin jump. He had finally picked himself off the ground, though with a new nasty bruise to decorate his forehead.

"K-Kōkin! Are you okay?!"

"Well… Yeah, actually. I was only out for a bit, and it doesn't look like that girl did any serious damage. The bruise hurts… _a lot_ , but that will take care of itself in a few days."

"She still sucker punched you. She even said only a sucker would get knocked out like that! Aren't you mad?"

"Well, she's not wrong. I _did_ jump right in front of her fist."

"But you only did that to protect… me. Wait, if you wouldn't have pushed me out of the way, _I_ would have gotten hit. So… _I'm_ the sucker!"

Kōkin blinked. "That's not what I…"

"Aw... I can't believe this! I'm a sucker! That girl made me a sucker and then just ran off without finishing what she started! This _sucks_!"

Kōkin felt extremely tired all of the sudden. More so even then his injury already made him feel.

"Hakufu?"

"Eh?"

"Let's go home."

After a bit more of pouting, she nodded. Kōkin sighed in relief, and the pair left the park in the opposite direction that Hakufu's newest foe and her lackeys went.

Their trip back was thankfully an uneventful one.

* * *

"We're back," Kōkin announced when he and Hakufu arrived.

Hakufu, eager to ask her mother about something, peeled off her shoes and went off to find her before a maid could arrive at the door.

Kōkin stayed near the entrance, gazing at his unpleasant bruise through a mirror. He didn't notice when a maid arrived.

"Good evening, Master Kōkin. I trust that tonight was…"

She broke off mid-sentence when she noticed the blotch of purple on her young master's forehead. Kōkin chuckled, knowing exactly how she felt.

"You don't need to make that type of face. This isn't nearly as bad as it looks. I just need a bit of ice."

'A bit of ice' was an understatement if she had ever heard one. The maid wanted to press Kōkin for more serious treatment, but she knew by now how stubborn her young master could be when it came to treating fight-related injuries. He would was sooner go the doctor over an upset stomach than a blackened eye.

It was a habit that had only grown in severity since his cousin and aunt moved in. They were rubbing off on Kōkin more than he realized, though none of the staff ever mentioned this to him.

"So, did anything happen while we were out?"

The maid nodded. "A guest arrived just a few moments before you and Hakufu-san did."

"Did they leave already?"

"No, sir. They're still here."

"Ah. Well, I'll just go and meet them before I do anything else."

"But what about…" The maid tapped her forehead.

"I'll just say I fell."

"Of course, Master Kōkin."

"So, where are they waiting? The living room?"

"The kitchen, sir."

"Why would they… Never mind. I'll find out when I get there, I guess."

Kōkin thanked his maid and started for his kitchen. He moved at a brisk pace, eager to uncover whoever would welcome themselves into another's kitchen while they were away.

When he got there, he was surprised to it in its usual immaculate condition. Even more suprising was the amazing smell that filled it. For some reason, it also smelled nostalgic. However, the chef behind the smell was someone Kōkin did not recognize at all – a bespectacled young man singing softly to himself in Chinese.

He looked about Kōkin's age, but that's where their similarities ended. Who he much more resembled was his cousin Hakufu. Their resemblance was downright uncanny in several areas, the most distinguishing of which being the strawberry blonde hair they seemed to share.

All Kōkin did was take a few steps. Before he could even reach the ' _He_ -' in ' _Hey_ ', the boy had already turned to face him.

"Oh, Kō-nii. Good timing. Do you have any sake lying around? I asked the maids and none of them could find any."

Kōkin blinked. "Uh, _who_ are you exactly?"

The stranger made a disappointed face. "So you really don't recognize me, huh? Well, I guess five years will do that. Anyway, my name is—"

"Kōkin, what's that smell coming from? It's amazing!"

Like a bloodhound, Hakufu barged into the kitchen lead by her nose.

"I thought you went looking for aunt Goei ***** , Hakufu?" Kōkin asked. [ ***5** ]

"I did. But one of the maids told me mama had left on an errand. So I just… Just…" Hakufu locked eyes with the stranger in Kōkin's kitchen, and her entire demeanor changed. "F… F… F…"

It was the most shaken Kōkin had ever seen Hakufu, and that included their childhood years. Just the simple act of speaking had become a challenge.

"H-Hakufu… Are you okay?" he asked, heavily concerned. "Do you know who this guy—"

" **Fū-chan?!** " Hakufu abruptly shouted.

A short silence swept through the kitchen, with only the stew being the only exception. The boy eventually cracked through the silence with a soft chuckle.

"I'm glad to see you too, nee-san. Could you keep the volume down, though? And Kō-nii, you still haven't answered my question by the way. Do you have any sake or not?"

Kōkin rubbed his still sore head trying to make sense of all this. When he finally put together the pieces – "Kō-nii", "Fū-chan", "Nee-chan" and a boy that looked like Hakufu – the obvious became transparently clear.

"…Gifū? _You're_ Gifū. Hakufu's little brother, Gifū?"

Gifū adjusted his glasses. "Maybe I should be more upset at how long it took for it to sink in, but it has been over five years. Also, I didn't have these glasses back then, so…"

He shrugged.

Gifū took a moment to sample the stew he was cooking. He found the taste 'adequate', but the lack of the ingredient he was looking for certainly held it back. Kōkin and Hakufu were both still stuck in shock. They couldn't find any words to describe Gifū's sudden presence in his cousin's kitchen.

There were only two people who could, however. One of them walked into the kitchen almost as if she had been waiting for the perfect timing.

"So _this_ is where you all were. Do really need this many cooks in the kitchen?" Goei said upon entering.

"Mama," Hakufu and Gifū said in unison.

She giggled. "Wow… And how long has it been since _that_ happened?"

As usual, Goei wore a kimono which gave off the atmosphere of a traditional Japanese wife. The large bottle of sake she hugged was also quite traditional, though in a slightly different way.

"Ah! You brought sake," Gifū said excitedly.

"Of course. I knew you'd be in the kitchen as soon as you got here, so why I had to go and get us restocked. That special _Son Son Sake Stew_ wouldn't be complete with its most important ingredient, would it?"

"Very perceptive." Gifū then gave his mama a look. "…That alcohol isn't going to be used justfor making stew though, is it?"

"Very perceptive~"

He shook his head. Some things apparently had not changed much in the time he had been overseas.

"Wait a minute, mama!" a still confused Hakufu exclaimed. "Fū-chan is supposed to be going to school in Hong Kong, isn't he? Why is he in Kōkin's kitchen then?"

Goei smiled broadly.

"Well… Kōkin's father and I have been keeping this a secret for a while, Hakufu. Since before you and I moved here, in fact." Goei smiled broadly. "Starting next week, your little brother is going to staying with us here while he attends school in Tokyo!"

Hakufu's expression exploded. She looked like more of a sucker than that white-haired girl at the park could have ever hoped of making her. She couldn't think of a single word to say in response.

Kōkin could however think of one thing to say.

"Dad… Why don't ever tell me these things beforehand?"

* * *

 **::~:: Afternotes ::~::**

1\. A Warrior is a fighter who wears a magatama bead and takes the power of the ancient warrior spirit within as their own.

2\. A magatama bead is a sacred jewel which contains the spirit of warriors from China's tumultuous Three Kingdoms era. The strength of the warrior who wears it changes its color. The correlating power level of each color, from weakest to strongest, goes as follows: **E Rank** = Jade green, **D Rank** = White, **C Rank** = Vermilion red, **B Rank** = Silver, **A Rank** = Gold, **Special A** **Rank** = Transparent, **S** **Rank** = Multi-color.

3\. **Hakufu Sonsaku** is the Japanese name for **Sun Ce.** Known infamously as the "Little Conqueror" for rapidly taking territory, he laid down the foundation for Wu before being assassinated at the young age of twenty-five. History as it is known may have changed drastically had he lived only a few years more.

4\. **Kōkin Shūyu** is the Japanese name for **Zhou Yu** , a general and strategist who served under Sun Ce and later his younger brother **Sun Quan**. When **Sun Jian** moved his family to Zhou Yu's hometown, Zhou Yu developed a close friendship with Sun Jian's eldest son, Sun Ce. He would later go on to become an invaluable general to Sun Ce, becoming the shield at the back of Little Conqueror's army.

5\. **Goei** is the Japanese name for **Lady Wu** , the wife of the warlord Sun Jian. She bore him several children, the two most famous being Sun Ce and Sun Quan.


	2. Chapter 2 - Super Special Service

*Well, this got delayed to hell. I'll try to post more than one thing a year from now on. Enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter 2 - Super Special Service~**

* * *

Honestly, it was his fault for leaving so early.

Since they were young, Hakufu had been late for everything that wasn't a fight or school. That Gifū came to this subway station ahead of her instead of just waiting for her get out of bed was an error on his part. He couldn't even bring himself to be angry, honestly.

With his back against a wall, he watched as people bustled in and out of the subway station, and morning traffic clogged the road. It was a Sunday morning and still this packed. He could only imagine what it would be like tomorrow when the second semester for several schools throughout Tokyo.

"I should probably get a route planned out just in case. It'll probably save me some of trouble."

As he was pulling his phone out, a familiar voice called out to him.

"Fū-chan? Fū-chan is that you over there?"

Over on the other side of the street was Hakufu. It appeared she had finally gotten herself out of bed. More likely, their mother forced her up herself. Gifū waved back at her, letting her know he had heard her. Once the pedestrian signal turned green, she would come over, and they could get the day started.

That, of course, would have been too simple for someone like Hakufu.

"Catch!" she exclaimed, flinging her satchel.

The bag flew through traffic faster than the vehicles that made it. Her brother caught it with one hand, a powerful _smack_ throwing up his hair and nearby skirts when he did. After making sure nothing was broken inside, he checked to see what Hakufu had planned. Though, he already had an idea.

She crouched low, took a deep breath and then jumped into the air as far she could. Gifū estimated twenty meters, but he could have been off by one or two. Pedestrians down below gazed up at her while she flipped through the sky, in awe of her athleticism.

Or maybe they were just staring at her panties.

When she landed on the opposite sidewalk, a small crater was made where her sandals hit the cement.

"Perfect landing~" she said.

"Yeah, sure. Just wear shorts next time, nee-chan," Gifū said while handing back her bag. "So, why did you sleep in for so long? Not only did you skip breakfast, I ended up waiting here for nearly half an hour after leaving ahead of you."

"It's because I stayed up super late planning our date today."

Gifū cringed at the word 'date'. His did the same when his mother proposed it last night. She thought it would be good idea for him to get a acquainted with Tokyo before starting school. Gifū agreed. What he had not agreed on was Hakufu being his sole guide. Today was supposed to be a sibling play date, like they used to have when they were children.

The very idea alone was embarrassing, but Hakufu accepted with gusto.

"We got a tight schedule ahead of us, Fū-chan. There's a movie at 2:00 pm we _need_ to catch."

This date was sounding more like field trip. Once it began in earnest, Gifū realized he wasn't that far off.

They entered the train station at 8:32 am. By 2:00 pm Hakufu dragged Gifū through three wards, a dozen shops and twice as many tourist attractions. They stopped for snacks (that only Hakufu ate), stopped for sights (that only Hakufu was interested in seeing), went to a comic shop (with manga only Hakufu bought) and visited an arcade (where only Hakufu won any prizes).

By the time they went to catch their film in Shinjuku, Gifu was already exhausted. Actual field trips took less exertion than the past four and a half hours.

"We made it in time!" Hakufu exclaimed, waving her newly bought tickets.

"Did we really have to rush down here, like this? Couldn't we have just gone to a later showing?"

"Catching a later showing of this movie would have had us here past sundown, Fū-chan."

"Why's that?"

Hakufu pointed to the poster of their movie in the theater. Immediately, Gifū focused on the run time underneath it.

"Two hours and forty-five minutes?! That over half the time we spent running around Tokyo!"

"Eh, it'll be fine. I heard this movie's got really good pacing."

He would have said more, Hakufu had paid for the tickets out of pocket. In fact, she had paid for just about everything herself – voluntarily too. Even if the movie seemed like some generic action flick, he couldn't bring himself to leave.

"This is going to be a painful three hours…"

* * *

 **~I~I~I~**

* * *

When they left the theater, Gifū had to stare at the ground in fear of catching the schadenfreude on his sister's face.

"I can't believe you teared up a little when the credits started rolling, Fū-chan."

"Just let it go already…"

"How can I? You were all ' _This is gonna be such a slog_ ', then you ended up loving the movie more than I did."

Gifū groaned. He thought this situation couldn't get any more embarrassing.

And then his stomach started rumbling.

It let out a roar so fierce it drew looks from passerby, as well as his sister. He chewed on his bottom lip in humiliation.

"Dammit…"

Hakufu chuckled. "You hungry, Fū-chan?"

"I'll be fine until we get home. I'll just eat leftovers from last night."

"Heh. Hey, if you say…" Hakufu paused, halting in the middle of street. "Wait. Did you eat any of the _Son Son Sake Stew_ from last night?"

"No. I skipped dinner."

"Oh. Did you eat any breakfast before you left either?"

"I never eat breakfast."

"Since when?! You ate every morning before you went to Hong Kong!"

"Diets change. I eat a lot less often than I used to."

"How much less?"

"Four days a week; typically on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday."

Hakufu made a face like she had just discovered her brother had been cutting himself. In her opinion, he may as well have been.

" Fū-chan, you can't treat your body like that! It needs nutrition! You'll stay short forever if you don't eat properly!"

Her brother's mouth twitched at that last comment.

"Y'know, I'm actually taller than you now, nee-chan."

"See what I mean? You've been short for so long you think being taller than your sis is an 'accomplishment' *****. Ah… Poor, Fū-chan." [ ***1** ]

Gifū silently adjusted his glasses.

"Look, there's a reason that I only eat four meals a week, and it's not that I just enjoy starving myself. Anyway, when we get home, I'll have my fourth meal then."

Just as he was starting toward Shinjuku Station, Hakufu hooked him back in. She tugged too hard and caused him to fall back. Her brother would have face-planted into the concrete had he not been landed in her cleavage instead. Onlookers them odd looks – some disgusted and some envious. Personally, Gifū felt more annoyed than anything else.

Once he freed himself from her chest he asked "Am I just your hostage now?"

"No, but I'm your tour guide still. If you're going to eat something tonight, it has to be on my treat."

He almost protested, but he knew that arguing would get him nowhere. Hakufu was stubborn when it came to doing things for others. Throughout the day, Gifū had seen that trait of hers remained unchanged since he'd been gone.

" _Fine_. We'll do it your way. Just try to pick someplace decent."

Eager to comply, Hakufu dug through her bag for her wallet. "Let's just see what I have left to work with here…"

She pulled the wallet out. She opened it. She closed it right back.

"Is something wrong?"

"Hmm? Oh, no it's fine. I'm just broke.

Gifū stared at her, and Hakufu stared right back.

"…I'm going home," the former said, turning on his heel.

"Hold on! I might still have something in my bag!"

Sticking close to her brother, Hakufu began rustling through every pocket and corner of her satchel. While he heard plenty of change jingling, Gifū had a doubt his sister would find anything substantial in that bag.

And yet, right before entering the subway, he heard her shout "Ooh! I forgot about this!"

He turned and saw that Hakufu was holding a black ticket in her hand.

"What is it? A coupon?"

"Kinda? It's supposed to be a special ticket to some fancy café here in Shinjuku. It nets you two meals. Doesn't matter how big the serving sizes are either."

"How did you get something like that?"

"A senpai from my school named Saji gave it to me."

 _That was nice of him_ , Gifū thought.

"He felt me up this one time. When I tried to sock him for it, he gave me this ticket as an apology."

 _Ah. Never mind_ , Gifū thought.

"So, have you ever even been to this cafe before?" he asked.

"Nope. But free food's free food, so why not check it out anyway?"

"Nee-chan…"

"Geez, you're always such a skeptic. You're already dying of hunger, so what do you have to lose?"

That… was a fair point. Fair enough for Gifū to again resigned himself to his sister's whims. She had already pleasantly surprised him once today. Perhaps this café would be the second surprise.

* * *

 **~I~I~I~**

* * *

Well, it was certainly a surprise, alright.

This café was tucked down a backroad in a location so obscure you likely wouldn't able to find it unless you were already looking for it. It seemed like a proper enough establishment… save for giant half-naked image of a maid lounging over the café's name – _Charlemagne_. Gifū marveled at it, but not for the reasons he imagined the owners expected him to. It took his sister calling his name for him to come back to Earth.

"What are you spacing out so much for?"

"This is a maid café."

"So?"

"I've been away from Japan for a while, but even I still know that places like these are just temples for otaku to congregate and hold anime mass, or whatever they like to do. The food probably isn't even that good."

Hakufu hummed. "Yeah, I think I understand where you're coming from. You're really just afraid of talking to girls besides me and mama, aren't you? Did something traumatic happen to you in Hong Kong, Fū-chan? Did you get your heart broken?"

A look of deep annoyance flickered across her brother's face. "Of course not!"

"Cool. Then let's go in already."

Hakufu practically frolicked her way through the front door, a bell chiming as she entered. Still annoyed, Gifū followed her in. When he did, his opinion of the cafe changed almost immediately.

It was classier than he could have imagined. The lighting was dim, with blinds over the windows and smooth jazz playing in the background. It forewent the _Moe_ style that was common amongst these types of cafés for a more mature and classy theme. There were even baroque-style paintings hung up on the wall.

Of course the café's maids were unique as well. The first was how they dressed like French maids with dresses so short their stockings were the only things covering their knees. For second, and most unique extraordinary thing about this café, all of the maids wore magatama beads.

"Is everyone who works here a Warrior?" Hakufu asked.

"Yep."

Hakufu jumped when she noticed a maid standing adjacent to her. She hadn't noticed her at all, and neither had her brother.

The maid giggled. "Sorry, did I startle you? I have a bad habit of surprising customers. Just a naughty habit I haven't been able to shake."

This girl was certainly… 'unique'; both in personality and appearance. She looked like a foreigner with her creamy brown skin and curly hair. She also had a magatama bead – vermilion red, the color of a C Rank.

Gifū wondered if she was _hāfu_.

"Ahem! While ogling up the staff if fine Master, you'll have to order something eventually," she said while making eye-contact.

"S-sorry... Hey, nee-chan, give her the ticket already."

"Okay, okay. You don't have to rush."

Hakufu withdrew the black ticket and handed it over to foreign maid. The maid beamed at it like it was some Japanese national treasure.

"Where did you get this?" she asked.

"A guy from my school named Saji gave it to me. Do you know him?"

"Saji, huh… Working here it would be hard _not_ to know him. Granted, there are girls who know him a whole lot more 'intimately' than I would ever care to."

While Hakufu was perplexed by what she meant, Gifū just wanted to know if they could use the darn thing or not.

"Is the ticket still valid even if this Saji guy isn't using it?"

The maid nodded. "Of course. So long as it's in your possession, who you got it from doesn't matter. Now, may I request my masters' names?"

"Gifū."

"And I'm Hakufu."

The maid made a strange face when she heard the second name. After a thoughtful hum, she told the siblings to go grab a seat, and wait for a maid to come and take their order.

They spotted an empty booth in the corner of the café for them to sit. Hakufu set her satchel down in and then went off to the restroom. Waiting by himself, Gifū started going through the menu at the table. He was impressed at its robustness. He started thinking this café was actually just a restaurant that specialized in coffee?

While still going through it, a maid arrived.

"Read for me to take your order, Master?" she asked.

This girl's tone sounded cold. She also looked cold. The beauty mark under the left corner of her mouth and the eye-patch she wore only added to the 'chill' she was emitting.

And yet Gifū got the impression she was the type that was quite among customers.

"Are you going to order or just stare all day? We have a policy about that, just so you know."

"Sorry, but I'm still deciding."

She gave Gifū a look like had just spit on her shoes. The glare could have turned hearts to stone. He was absolutely positive she was popular among customers. He was also fortunate that something else on the table caught the maid's attention.

"Is that a black ticket? Only regulars get those," she said. "How do you have one?"

"My elder sister says she was given it by a senpai at her school. Someone named Saji."

The maid's chilly demeanor lit up like a flame had been ignited in front of her.

"…What school does your sister go to?"

"Nanyō Academy."

The flame burned hotter, and the maid began to sweat.

"There's no way it's her. Just no way," she said to herself. "Saji wouldn't _dare_ try to-"

"Mo-chan? Is that you?" Hakufu asked, having just returned from the restroom.

The maid didn't even look back. She just gave a deep sigh. "Of course he would do something like this."

Hakufu suddenly hugged her from behind. Gifū expected a look of disgust similar to what he saw earlier, but the maid appeared more annoyed than anything else.

"I didn't know you worked here, Mō-chan! No wonder you're always running around with that maid outfit on," Hakufu said, mushing her and maid's faces close.

"What did you think the reason was? You thought I was just some pervert running around in fetish gear?"

"You _do_ like to carry handcuffs."

Mō-chan shrugged Hakufu off of her. Then she eyed Gifū.

"You had a brother all this time? How come I've never seen him before?"

"He's been going to school in Hong Kong the last few years. His name's Gifū, but me and mama just call him Fū-chan."

Gifū was about to introduce himself properly to his sister's friend, but she gave him _another_ look that ushered him into silence.

" _Gifū_? Does that mean that he's…?"

"Ryomō, are there any problems happening over here?

The blue-haired maid for interrupted for the second time. This time it was the _hāfu_ -looking maid from earlier.

"Maka-san…. Did _you_ know that this girl attended the same school as Saji and I?"

"…Kinda."

"Did you also purposely send me over purposely send me over to wait this table?"

"…Maybe."

Maka gazed solemnly into Ryomō's eyes. After a moment, she broke down laughing.

"…Dammit. I hate having to give the SSS treatment."

"What is the 'SSS Treatment'," Gifū asked.

"It stands for ' _Super Special Service_ ', and you can only get it if you obtain a black ticket. It lets you make a maid from Charlemagne to do any one task you ask outside of the café. Doing your schoolwork, cleaning your room, taking your dog for a walk, asking for money – basically anything short of sex. We'd get busted for prostitution if we allowed that. …Not that it keeps certain customers from trying."

"Surprised anyone works here with something like that in place," Gifū said.

"If you knew how much we got paid you would."

"Ah. Excuse me then."

Ryomō tried to get Maka to settle down.

"Alright, you got your laughs, Maka-san. You can go now. We don't need the manager acting like a hyena in front of customers."

Maka, still too amused with herself to respond proper, left the booth to resume her duties elsewhere. Hakufu and Gifū couldn't believe _that_ person was the manager. She spent half her time laughing at innocuous things her customers did.

"This café is so strange…" Hakufu commented.

"I don't want to hear something like that from someone like you," Ryomō said, pulling her pad out again. "So, you finally figured out what you want to eat, _little brother_?"

He did, in fact. As did his sister. It only took a second for her pick what she wanted from the menu – curry and rice. Gifū's order was a bit less orthodox.

"Can I get the _Joyeuse Banquet,_ please?" he asked.

Ryomō blinked. "Master, did you not check the serving size beside it? That meal is meant to serve two to three people."

"I know. That's why I ordered it."

The maid blinked again. "You plan to eat three people's worth of food?"

"Yes? Is that a problem?"

She blinked once more and this time Gifū blinked right back at her.

"…Okay. One curry w/rice and one _Joyeuse Banquet_. Both your orders with be ready soon, Masters."

Ryomō gave them a bow then left for the kitchen, throwing Hakufu a sideways look as she went.

"Fū-chan, are you serious? Since when do you pig out like this?

"Since I only eat a few times out of the week, I try to make each meal as big as I'm sure I can eat in one sitting."

Hakufu folded her arms. She wondered what bizarre dietary habits her brother had adopted during his time abroad.

Hakufu had her food fresh and ready in no longer than six minutes. Gifū continued waiting for over twenty. In this time, his sister finished her own and was waiting along with him.

When it finally came, it was rolled out of the kitchen on its own personal trolley. Other customers and maids looked on curiously as it was rolled to its destination. They expected some greasy, overweight otaku to be on the receiving end. How surprised they were when the numerous plates were laid out in front of someone like Gifū.

Hakufu was glad she had finished her meal beforehand, because there would have been no room for it otherwise. The _Joyeuse Banquet_ took the whole table up by itself.

"Here you go," Ryomō said, setting the last dish down. "Don't make a mess."

Gifū thanked her as she walked away. She told Maka she was going a short break, then left the café through the back door, taking a bottle of water with her. She thought she might finally have some peace to herself in that alley, so of course Hakufu showed up before she could even sip the bottle in her hand.

"Mō-chan!"

"Ah!" Ryomō spilled some of her water on herself. "Dammit, Sonsaku… What do you want?"

"It's about that _Super Special Service_ thing, Maka-chan was talking about. I what tell what I want."

"The 2nd Semester starts tomorrow. If you didn't finish your summer homework by now, it's just a lost cause."

"That's not it. I mean… I _did_ kinda put most of it off, but…"

Ryomō shook her head at Hakufu's pathetic expression.

"Idiot."

"I'm not an idiot! And that's not what I want! What I want is for you to fight Fū-chan!"

"…Why?"

"Starting tomorrow, Fū-chan will be going to school in Tokyo. I know that since he's connected to me and Kōkin lots of guys are gonna try to test him. Before that happens, I want him to see what it's like to know what it's like to fight one of the toughest Warriors in Kantō, so he'll already have that experience to back him up."

Ryomō blinked. Then she chuckled.

"W-what's so funny?"

"It's just that I never expected something that contemplative to come out of you, of all people. You're make big sister than I would have thought, Sonsaku." Hakufu seemed a bit cross at her friend's words. Her mood settled when Ryomō finally said "I'll do it. But only if your brother agrees."

"Right! Hey, can you two fight right after off you get off from work tonight?"

"Sure, but I get off at 6:30. Your brother won't finish eating by then."

"Oh, shoot… You're right."

Hakufu hurried back inside. Ryomō, finding desire for solitude gone, followed. She expected to return to Hakufu and Gifū's booth and finding the former pestering the latter to hurry eating. What she found instead was nothing.

Literally – the entire meal she had brought to their table had vanished. Every bowl and plate laid out in front of him had been picked clean. Ryomō hadn't even taken her full break.

Hakufu's brother gave very satisfied exhale and then threw his spotless napkin on top of the small tower of empty plates he had erected.

"Thank you for the meal…"

"W-wow, Fu-chan... You really pigged out," Hakufu said.

"I did fast for two days prior. Anyway, didn't you want to tell me something, nee-chan?"

"O-oh, yeah…"

She wondered about how best to put this. She realized her brother's aversion to fighting, but she wasn't sure how best to convince him. She decided to just be blunt and work from there.

"Fū-chan, I was wondering if you would be up for fighting Mō-chan."

"You mean your maid friend over here?"

Hakufu nodded. "I know it's out the blue, but-"

"Sure. I'll spar with her."

"…Huh?"

"Your friend – I'll fight her. Of course only if she's fine with it as well."

"I am. Just give me give me another half-hour until my shift ends," Ryomō said.

"Okay. Do you have a place you have in mind for this?"

Ryomō shrugged. "Let your sister decide."

His sister, still bewildered by how smoothly this had gone, toiled for a bit trying to come up with a good location. Eventually, the light bulb came on.

"Ooh~ I know just the place!"

* * *

 **~I~I~I~**

* * *

Gifū had thought he and Hakufu would get home before dark tonight. That hope long gone now.

The only source of light on Nanyō Academy's rooftop came from the moon and stars above. More negligent than the lack of lights, Gifū found, was the fact that he and Hakufu had literally strolled up here with no issue.

"Does this school bother locking _anything_?"

Hakufu shrugged. "Not really. If you can clear the front gate, you can explore as much as you want."

"Won't you get in trouble for trespassing?"

"Nah. The school's pretty lax with what students can do on its grounds. Trespassing, fighting on campus, destroying school property, skipping class. So long as your grades don't fall too low, teachers don't really care what you do."

Gifū hummed.

Complacency towards with violence was apparently a trait that went beyond thugs in the streets. Gifū wondered just how many schools in the Greater Tokyo Area also shared this quirk. Was battlelust just a common thing throughout the Kantō region?

The sound of the door to the roof opening disrupted his thoughts. It was his dance partner for the night.

"Sorry I kept you waiting. Some punks came in just as I clocking out and started raising a ruckus," Ryomō said.

"A little unfair you got a warm-up beforehand," Gifū joked.

Ryomō smirked then shut the door behind her.

She was still wearing her work attire, but the shoes she wore at the café had been swapped out for black combat boots. She had also donned some gloves.

"Hey, nee-chan mentioned something about handcuffs earlier. Are you…"

"I didn't bring them. I would have had to take a train back home for that. Besides, they're mainly for fun, not for when I'm serious."

"I see. Well then…" Gifū removed his glasses, tossed them over to his sister, and took a stance. "Whenever you're ready, Ryomō-san."

"Hold on. Before we start, I want to clear some things up."

The siblings she addressed traded looks. The elder shrugged and the younger relaxed his stance. He already had a feeling what this about anyway.

"Are we about to discuss my name, Ryomō-san?"

Ryomō nodded. "It's part of the reason I agreed to this. …Besides the _Super Special Service_ thing."

"I see. Considering that you're **Shimei Ryomō*** it would make sense that you would want to be reassured about my identity." [ ***2** ]

"You managed to guess who I was, eh?"

"I mean, this whole ' _reincarnated identity_ ' thing isn't rocket science. Nee-chan is **Sun Ce the Little Conqueror**. Kō-nii is **Zhou Yu the Youth**. They both go to Nanyō Academy which is named after **Nanyang**. Just following that trail of logic, it's easy enough to guess someone's identity if I'm given a hint. For example: that Saji guy who gave nee-chan the black ticket – he must be **Genpō Saji*** , right?" [ ***3** ]

Ryomō was baffled. "Are you sure you and Sonsaku are related? Seriously, studying abroad isn't enough to justify you two being _this_ different."

"Are you calling me stupid again, Mō-chan?"

The maid ignored her.

"Okay, so since you've gotten that all figured out on your own, you know where I'm going with this. Don't you… **Gifū Shuzen***?" [ ***4** ]

"Eh… I could just be named after the castle *****." [ ***5** ]

One look from Ryomō was enough for Gifū to know she was having none of it. "Right, right… So, how does you now knowing my identity affect this fight of ours?"

"You should already know. I'm **Lü Meng**. You're **Zhu Ran**. In a past life, you were my subordinate who's talent blossomed under me. I plan on making sure that event repeats itself. Nanyō could do with another strong general."

"Ah. I see. This is a test." Gifū retook his stance. "Tests are my strong suit, so I should do fine."

Ryomō tugged on the cuffs of her gloves and then took her own stance.

"I don't give easy grades, Shuzen."

The two became as still as statues. It was so quiet, Hakufu could hear the air between them quiver.

Ryomō's retained a judo-like stance, something that would make anyone wary of getting within arm's length of her; especially with a B Rank magatama bead dangling from her ear. But Gifū knew that he would have to close the distance eventually. Hence, he chose not to waste any time getting to it.

Gifū took his first step. This was the only step he needed.

Hakufu's eyes widened at her brother's display of footwork, but his opponent was not so impressed. The blow he delivered at the end of journey was deflected, and an elbow was sent back at him.

He managed to evade, but with a scratch across the cheek as a parting gift. Now in the danger zone, Gifū tried to put distance back between him and his opponent, but Ryomō was having none of it. Her fingers came for his throat like a starving wolf's fangs. Gifū ducked then came back up with roundhouse kick to the maid's face.

It hit her square where her eyepatch was; the air around her head even howled.

"…Is this a joke?" Ryomō asked.

Reacting too late, the boy had his ankle snatched in an iron clutch. Like he was a child's toy, Ryomō swung the boy over her head and slammed him against the rooftop. On impact, all the air he thought he owned left his body. Pain coursed through him. His head kept ringing like a phone was stuffed inside it.

But the maid wasn't done.

She swung him overhead again. And then a third time. And then a fourth. By the sixth, Hakufu wanted to stop the fight, certain she would be bringing him back in trash bag if she didn't.

"S-stay out of this, nee-chan…!" her brother shouted at her.

Ryomō dangled him above the rooftop like a fresh fish she had just wrangled.

"I thought you said you were good at tests. You're lucky if you don't flunk you outright after this."

"Heh... So this is what a B Rank's strength is like…" Gifū groaned. "That guy from the other night is like a toddler in comparison…"

"C'mon, Fū-chan… Don't feel _too_ bad," Hakufu reassured. "Mō-chan's one of the strongest B Ranks in Kantō, y'know? Losing to her isn't anything to beat yourself up over."

"I don't know if I _could_ beat myself worse than she has, nee-chan…"

Ryomō clicked her tongue. "Even without a magatama bead on, this level of strength is pathetic. Are you really Gifū Shuzen?"

Gifū gazed up at Ryomō's upside-down visage. He smirked and said "... _Nope_."

Just as the maid was trying to understand what he meant, Gifū inhaled deeply and then exhaled. A surge of chi flowed from his pores, blowing him free of Ryomō's grasp and away from her.

She tugged roughly on her gloves.

"Neat trick, Shuzen. You get points for good chi control, at least. Better than Sonsaku who'll just throw everything around without thinking about it."

"Stop making fun of me, Mō-chan!"

Gifū laughed while wiping some blood off himself.

"Thank you. That technique was originally developed by a kung fu master who used it to scare away wild animals when he would take hikes through forests. But if you add a little more chi, you can do more than scare – you can blast yourself and other things away from you. It exhausts your chi pretty quickly though, so it can't be used too often."

"Are you sure you want me to know that last detail?"

"You won't be getting ahold of me a second time, so it's fine."

Ryomō scowled. Just who did this punk think he was? She just had him at her mercy, literally fling him about like a ragdoll, and now he's acting like he has the upper hand?

"Just like your sister…" Ryomō hissed, getting backstance again.

Gifū did the same, but his stance was different. It had a distinct Chinese kenpō flavor to it. Ryomō recognized it almost immediately – he was using bajiquan. It didn't surprise Ryomō that the boy knew kung fu, everyone in his family seemed to. It was that he had not used this style from the get-go that struck a chord with her.

When she realized what was going on, she grit her teeth. " _You_ were testing _me_ …"

Gifū smiled. "Just a little."

Concrete shot up when the maid shot herself after him. She should have had him in her clutches, but Gifū stepped just out of her reach. Like a rampaging bull, she whirled around and went at him again. The same thing transpired then, and again on the third try. Gifū may as well have been a ghost, because Ryomō couldn't so much as touch him.

 _What kind of footwork is this?!_ Ryomō rambled in her head.

She decided to change tactics. She aimed for a single leg this time; or so she pretended to. When Gifū moved his leg in response, Ryomō turned her tackle into a rising uppercut.

It was she, however, that had been played.

After dodging the baited uppercut with ease, Gifū delivered a dual open palm thrust at her stomach.

" _Kkh-!_ "

The blow sent Ryomō barreling across the rooftop. When she got back on her feet, she winced at the pain in her chest. She had gotten played – knocked off her feet even, something that shocked her and Hakufu both.

 _Was it planned? Instinctive? Did he just get lucky?_ Ryomō's brain scrambled trying to piece his operandi together.

"It's obvious that you're thinking too hard about this, Ryomō-san," Gifū said. "While strategy is important, it's never good to think _too_ much in a fight. You just make it easy for your opponent to catch you off guard. For example…!"

Gifū rushed her.

Whatever fears he had about getting too close to Ryomō were completely gone now. It caught her so off guard, she barely dodged his first few punches. The knee that followed them however struck her clean in the stomach.

Ryomō clenched her teeth through the pain. She threw a punch of her own, but Gifū parried it while spinning on his heel. Still spinning, weaved behind then used his built up momentum to deliver a backhand to the back of Ryomō's head.

She went barreling a few meters again before flipping back onto her feet. The moment she did Gifū had already rushed in again. He showered her with blows so fast, his arms moved like blurs. Ryomō found herself solely on defense. She waited for the opportunity to counter to present itself.

It never came.

Instead, she was gradually pushed back. Blow after blow came, inching her further and further until her back was being pressed again the fence set up around the roof. She expected for the attacks to slow down then, but they only hastened.

The onslaught became so furious, Ryomō soon realized that her boots were no longer touching the rooftop.

 _Does he ever run out of stamina…?!_

After what felt like eternity, Gifū abruptly stopped his barrage. Ryomō thought this was her opportunity. She thought she would be able to counter as soon as her boots touched the roof again.

The maid was so caught up in these thoughts she hadn't noticed how hot and red the boy's hands had become. He clapped them together and they combusted into a red burning aura. They burned even brighter when he clapped them together at the wrists and launched them forward.

" _ **Red Lion Over the Plains!**_ " Gifū exclaimed.

The burning red aura became the head of a roaring lion that lunged at Ryomō. The blast struck her and the surrounding era like dynamite. Even the fence behind her couldn't bear its intensity. It was blown clean open, and the maid straddling against went flying from the rooftop.

Gifū realized too late what he had done.

"Oh, no!"

"Mō-chan!" Hakufu cried out.

Gifū rushed over to the edge, his heart sinking. The moment he looked over, his dismay became confusion. The girl who he had blown away was nowhere to be scene below.

"Alright, I take back that earlier grade. I'll give this at least a C+."

He looked back. Shimei Ryomō was standing tall behind him.

"How did you…"

He paused, a dark realization hitting him: Ryomō was barely injured. Her outfit was in shreds, but her body was mostly free of bruises and showed no signs of bleeding. All that effort, all those strikes, all that power he had put into that last technique – it was all just delaying the inevitable.

It was disgraceful. So disgraceful he had to have a laugh at himself. Ryomō stood patiently until he was finished.

He wiped a tear from his eye. "I didn't think the gap between us was this wide. It's like a valley, almost."

"If it makes you feel better, you did better than I expected."

"Thank you, but no. No, it doesn't." He resumed his stance. "I wonder... Is nee-chan as strong as you are?"

Ryomō resumed her stance as well. "I'd like to know that myself."

"Heh. I see. Well then…"

He gave his sister a sideways glance. She gave him a thumbs-up. Letting out a chuckle, he faced Ryomō again. They engaged each other for the last time.

* * *

 **~I~I~I~**

* * *

The gloves came off once her business was finished. It took her about a minute, longer than she had expected. Her opponent laid in the center of a crater on the rooftop, completely out for the count.

" _Service Complete~_ ," Ryomō said in English.

Hakufu squatted next to her unconscious brother and started poking at his cheek. She giggled when his face recoiled.

"I think you might have leveled up after that big battle in Yokohama ***** , Mō-chan," she said. [ ***6** ]

"Maybe. Can't neglect the fact your brother fought without a magatama bead, though. Keeping up with a B Rank for so long with a handicap like that is pretty ridiculous. I think your brother might be stronger now than you were when you and I first fought."

"Probably. Fū-chan acts like he doesn't like the fight, but he practices all the time when nobody's around."

Ryomō hummed.

It appeared to her that Hakufu was more a fighter who only cared about getting into brawls, but Gifū was more of 'martial artist' he cared about honing his craft ahead of just fighting all the time. It was probably the reason he o readily seized the opportunity to fight her.

What a strange duo these siblings were.

"Well, I'll see you at school tomorrow," Hakufu said.

She tucked her brother's glasses into her cleavage then hauled him onto her back

"Hold on, Sonsaku. During our fight, I asked your brother if he was really Gifū Shuzen. He said he wasn't. Was he just playing mind games then, or..."

"No, he was being honest. Fū-chan's full name isn't Gifū Shuzen. It's Gifū **Sonshōkō***." [ ***7** ]

Ryomō's jaw dropped.

"What?! S-Sonshōkō? But isn't he already he successor of Zhu Ran?!"

"Eh… I never really got into this whole "successor/reincarnation/past life" stuff. Always thought it was confusing. But if I had to guess...he's _both_?"

The maid stared on in disbelief. How was that possible? Was it even possible? Was Gifū actually faking his identity like Saji was *****? [ ***8** ]

"Geez, this is what Fū-chan was talking about during the fight. You're thinking way too much. Just wait 'til tomorrow and ask him yourself if you're _that_ worried."

She had dozen questions, but it was obvious Hakufu was not equipped to answer most of them. So with a resigned sigh, Ryomō agreed to wait.

"Fine. I'll ask him at school tomorrow."

"You mean our school? Uh... You can't do that."

"…Why?"

"Because Fū-chan isn't going Nanyō. Starting tomorrow he'll be attending Seito Academy *****." [ ***8** ]

Ryomō blinked. Her dozen questions suddenly quadrupled, but before she could ask a single one, Hakufu was already running off with her little brother on her back.

Feeling fatigued from work, fighting and trying to piece together this nonsensical scenario, Ryomō decided to call it a night herself. Maybe things would become clearer once she got some sleep.

It was as she was leaving the roof that a sudden pain pulsated through her chest. Ryomō grabbed her breast in response and waited for the pain to pass.

"…Alright. Maybe it was more like a _B-_."

* * *

 **::~:: Afternotes ::~::**

* * *

1\. Hakufu is 162 cm (5'3), Gifū is 164 cm (5'4) and the average Japanese male is 172 cm (5'7½)

2\. **Shimei Ryomō** is the Japanese name for **Lü Meng** , one of Wu's great generals. He was originally a valorous but dull-witted warrior, but took up academic pursuits later. By mastering both the martial and scholarly arts, he became an invaluable strategist and general to Wu. The greatest hallmark of his career came when he defeated and captured Shu's mightiest general and "God of War" **Guan Yu**. Guan Yu was executed shortly after.

3\. **Genpō Saji** is the Japanese name for **Zuo Ci** , a prolific sorcerer from the Three Kingdoms period. He was said to have lived over three centuries, and mastered his sorcery through Taoist practices. He was also an eccentric who playfully interacted with leaders from all three of the era's great countries.

4\. **Gifū** **Shuzen** is the Japanese name for the Wu general **Zhu Ran**. During the Three Kingdoms era, Zhu Ran was a youth of great talent, performing his duties as a prefect well even at the young age of nineteen. These included subduing the Shanyue people throughout his territory within a month's time, and helping resist the invasions of **Cao Cao** , the ruler of Wei. His military career did not truly blossom until his service under Lü Meng during his invasion of southern Jingzhou. During this campaign, he aided Lü Meng in the capture of Guan Yu.

5\. **Gifu** **Castle** is a castle that sits in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Originally called **Inabayma Castle** when constructed by the Nikaidō clan, it was given its current name by **Nobunaga Oda** after he conquered it in 1567.

6\. Hakufu is referring to this era's version of the **Battle of Red Cliffs** (one of the most important battles of the Three Kingdoms Era). It took place on the island of Yokohama. Despite all of the destruction and bloodshed throughout, no one who directly participated in the battle died.

7\. **Sonshōkō** is the Japanese name for **Sun Shangxiang** , the operatic name for **Lady Sun of Wu**. She was the younger sister of Sun Ce and Sun Quan, notorious for her tomboy ways. She married **Liu Bei** , the ruler of **Shu Han** , to strengthen the relationship between their two kingdoms.

8\. **Seito** is the Japanese name for **Chengdu** , which served as the home base for Shu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period.


End file.
